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11
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6 answers
Does "the church" in Matthew 18:17 refer to the whole assembly?
In Matthew 18:17, Jesus' instructions on the brother who sins reach a climax:
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
I'm curious…
Soldarnal
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11
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4 answers
How many Isaiahs?
I understand that there is a scholarly position that holds that the book of Isaiah was written by three authors, termed First Isaiah (chapters 1-39), Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), and Third Isaiah (chapters 56-66). I was recently reading my handy…
Susan
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11
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1 answer
How many days until Nineveh will be overthrown?
When Jonah declares the destruction of Nineveh to its inhabitants, his only words are (3:4b):
עוֹד אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְנִֽינְוֵ֖ה נֶהְפָּֽכֶת׃ (BHS)
Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown! (ESV)
I noticed that the LXX (otherwise quite…
Susan
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11
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13 answers
Luke 3:1-3 was Luke mistaken about the year in which John the Baptist's preaching began?
Luke goes into detail concerning the beginning of Christ’s ministry. To quote:
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his
brother Philip tetrarch…
Christian Gedge
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11
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1 answer
What sort of city was Nineveh?
Jonah 3:3 (BHS, ESV):
וְנִֽינְוֵ֗ה הָיְתָ֤ה עִיר־גְּדוֹלָה֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים
wənînəwēh hāyətâ 'îr gədôlâ l'ēlōhîm
Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city*
ESV footnote:
*Hebrew: A great city to God
At issue is whether the word God (elohim) is…
Susan
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11
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3 answers
"Is not life more than food?" - a call for perspective or an argument from the greater to the lesser?
On page 29 of "Battling Unbelief" by John Piper, he says that Matthew 6:25 is "an argument from the greater to the lesser":
25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body,…
Jack Douglas
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11
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4 answers
Did houses only have one room 2000 years ago?
A possible implication of Matthew 5:15 is that houses generally had only one room:
15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ESV
Does archeology support this in general, or do…
Jack Douglas
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4 answers
1 Cor 15:5: Jesus "was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve" - why "twelve" and not eleven?
In 1 Cor 15:5 Paul speaks about Jesus after His resurrection:
"And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve"
I don't understand how that could have been twelve and not eleven. Judas Iscariot, as seems to follow from the Gospels, committed…
brilliant
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11
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6 answers
Why did the reply in Luke 4:24 make the people furious?
In Luke 4, Jesus is in Nazareth speaking to the people there. He says that a prophet is not welcomed in his hometown.
Luke 4:24-27:
And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many…
Opoku Tevin
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1 answer
Is Salem in Genesis 14 a shortened form of Jerusalem?
In Genesis 14:18, Mechizedek is introduced as the king of Salem (מֶ֣לֶךְ שָׁלֵם). HALOT gives several possible interpretations, citing Josephus (1:181) in support of its identification with Jerusalem:
τὴν μέντοι Σολυμᾶ ὕστερον ἐκάλεσεν Ἱεροσόλυμα
…
Susan
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11
votes
3 answers
Why is “maranatha” in 1 Cor 16:22?
1 Cor 16:22 reads:
εἴ τις οὐ φιλεῖ τὸν κύριον, ἤτω ἀνάθεμα. μαράνα θά. NA28
If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!ESV
From what I gather, there is some question as to whether the Aramaic behind μαράνα θά is…
Susan
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11
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6 answers
How can an evil spirit come from God?
In 1 Samuel 16, a number of times an evil spirit from God is described to come upon Saul:
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit…
user640
11
votes
5 answers
Did Paul expect Timothy to see "the last days"?
In 2 Timothy, Paul warns Timothy as follows:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)
3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, …
user474
11
votes
6 answers
What is the meaning of the "gathered to his people" idiom?
In the Old Testament, when someone dies, he is sometimes said to be "gathered to his people" or a close variant:
Genesis 15:15 As for you [Abraham], you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.
Genesis 25:8 Abraham…
Mr. Bultitude
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11
votes
5 answers
Were Shem, Ham and Japheth Triplets?
Genesis 5:32
"Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
When considering the Genealogies of Genesis 5, it becomes evident that the standard form of recording the offspring of each firstborn son, is to…
John Unsworth
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